


Unsung Heroes

by legendarylezbian



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Angst, F/F, Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 21:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13221702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendarylezbian/pseuds/legendarylezbian
Summary: Tumblr prompt: Military!Kara AU where she comes home after like presumed dead for ages and she goes to CATCO and everything just stops and i legit mean everyone just stares at her and Cat's in meeting and she throwing off tasks for people to do and she sees kara and bam, kill me basically





	Unsung Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> Listen to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNgfy8nJIGM)  
> while reading if you want.

Kara Danvers has been awake for 25 hours. Her final flight home stirs her nerves until she's wide awake, and she's clutching her carry-on close to her chest, staring into space, imagining how things are going to be when she finally steps off the plane and into National City Airport.

Alex will be waiting for her, and that's a little surreal, because she knows that her sister had thought she'd never see her again. She herself had not been sure. Two years of being cut off from any contact with her unit and forced to fend for herself hadn't been ideal, but it's what she'd been trained for. She'd survived, somehow. And now she is going home.

The ambient noise of the airplane cabin lulls her somewhat, and she dozes off for a few minutes, shocking herself awake as she accidentally dips her forehead into her neighbor's shoulder.

Just six more hours, and then she'll be home. She can't really imagine ever sleeping again; she keeps imagining Alex's face when she steps off the airport terminal. Seeing Jeremiah and Eliza again is something she's excited for, but at the same time, she feels weird. It's not just nerves, but maybe some guilt for not having any way to let them know she was alive. For so long, she was a ghost to them.

Memories hit her from all sides, keeping her mind from straying to other things she might regret. She tries to read, but can't focus her thoughts long enough to absorb more than three words.

 

\----

 

Cat Grant doesn't have a reason to be miserable. Her life is going well; nothing tumultuous or dramatic--at least, nothing she can't handle. Carter, her now fourteen year old son, graduates junior high and enters his first year of high school, which, while difficult, doesn't uproot him or pull him away from her like she thought it would. Her relationship with both of her sons grows stronger; Adam makes it a point to visit National City when he can. CatCo has grown more successful, and Cat recently beat Maxwell Lord on the list of 'most powerful people' in National City. It should be enough, Cat thinks, as she's sitting on the CatCo balcony, nursing a scotch long after all of her employees had gone home.

If she's going to keep wallowing, she might as well do it at home, where Carter can distract her with his youthful optimism.

He doesn't know. She made sure.

Not that there really was anything to know. Going to Noonan's cafe on the weekends for a few months just to have a chat with the cute barista (despite her tacky fashion sense) who worked there was something she hadn't felt the need to disclose to anyone. It was hers, and it was exciting, and Kara had fascinated her.

Cat had tried to hire her, which, granted, probably wasn't ethical, but Kara turned her down. And then, that same day, she'd written her number on Cat's cup, with the note _I want to get to know you better :)_ and Cat still remembers how that cheesy rom-com gesture had made her head swim.

She'd texted Kara soon after, purposely getting her name wrong (later claiming it was auto-correct): _'Kiera, if you want to get to know me better, working for me would be one way to do that. If you hadn't noticed, I'm a bit of a workaholic._ '

Kara's reply didn't leave much room for any doubt: **'Oh I noticed. I notice a lot of things about you. Which is why working for you would be wildly inappropriate.'**

They flirted like that over text for a few more weeks, and Cat had been planning to ask Kara out in person. She'd walked into Noonan's on a Saturday morning in early April. She recalls putting a lot of care into her appearance, busting out her Gucci pumps and Chanel perfume, only to find that Kara wasn't there. Her effort had been completely wasted, and she tried not to show her disappointment when she casually asked where Kara was.

"She was just deployed a few days ago," one of the baristas had told her. "She should be back in 6 months."

"What?" Cat had asked, numbly gripping onto the counter as she tried to parse together just what was happening. She hadn't known Kara was in the military. She hadn't had any time to discover who she really was. She felt robbed. Why couldn't she have just told her in one of her many texts, Cat wondered. It would have been a nice piece of information to have.

Cat sniffs, abruptly ending her decidedly unpleasant stumble down memory lane as she takes another mouthful of scotch. She's just dwelling because she doesn't have closure. She needs to let go of the past. She knows Kara isn't coming back.

 

\----

 

If Cat had been a masochist, or more self-important, or just a manipulative sociopath, she would have kept herself up nights wondering if she could have engineered things so Kara's choice could have been different. In her weaker moments, she thought that maybe, if she'd made a move sooner, or if she'd just been more upfront, Kara might have returned the favor, and at least then Cat would have known better than to get attached. What had they really known about each other? A brief flirtation over text hardly constituted a relationship. It certainly wasn't a reason for Cat to still be thinking about her two years later. She's unsure if Kara is alive or dead, and hates that this is one piece of information unavailable to her.

There is nothing she can do, except throw herself ever deeper into her company. Into her life as a successful, powerful CEO.

The power she wields isn't real. She's lonely, brittle, cold. She's a bitch. She's read the tabloids; she knows what people think of her.

In her line of work, she has to harden herself. She can't afford to be soft, but she knows that she has plenty of redeeming qualities that no one really sees just because they aren't looking hard enough. Not because Cat is an expert at crafting a facade that keeps people at arm's length. Never that.

 

\----

 

"You should just call her," Alex huffs impatiently one morning about a month after Kara comes home.

She's been keeping herself busy; she started up her part-time job at Noonan's again and she volunteers at the animal shelter on Mondays and Wednesdays. Kara flashes an easy smile whenever someone asks how she's doing. She'd convinced herself that everything would be okay. That she didn't have anymore unfinished business now that she was back home.

"What are you talking about?" Kara frowns, biting into a donut and leaning over her sister's kitchen bar. "There's no 'her,' and besides, even if there was, I'm not ready to--"

"Let me specify things for you, then. Cat Grant. The CEO you had a thing with before you left. You should call her, and let her know you're alive. She hasn't heard from you in two years."

"She probably hates me, if she even remembers me at all." Kara protests. "Besides, we never even went on a date."

Alex rolls her eyes. "I'm not saying you need to marry her, Kara. Just give her the courtesy of letting her know that you're still breathing." Alex leans over and rubs Kara's shoulder. "And if she gets mad at you for surviving, well, that's fucked up and at least it will tell you what kind of person she is."

Kara eases into her sister's touch and heaves a sigh. Even now, Cat has a way of pulling her focus to one area, and it's interesting that she's one of the few people who can. Her mind has been scattered ever since she got back, but she feels like something else is off-balance. Feeling at home safe in her situation is a new feeling she's still getting used to. She doesn't want to pull someone who is practically a stranger into that drama.

So a few more months pass, and Kara starts going to therapy to get her thoughts out. It feels strange to confide in a stranger, but her therapist is understanding and doesn't push topics she's not ready to discuss.

Harmless questions like: "How has your dating life been since you've been back?" are enough to make Kara wonder if her therapist can read her mind or something.

"I don't have one," Kara answers easily. "There's too much going on here--" she gestures to herself--"and I feel too isolated to really get back out there. Not that I was ever really 'out there' to begin with. Nothing serious," Kara rambles.

Dr. Grace Hati nods. "But there was someone," she observes. "Are you still in contact with this someone?"

"No," Kara shakes her head. "I don't know what to say to her."

"Not to plagiarize Adele or Lionel Richie, but you could always start with hello," Grace suggests, a specter of a smirk dancing on her dark features. "That one's a classic."

Kara chuckles. "I guess. But everything after that is what I'm afraid of. I'm not ready." 

Grace nods, her brown eyes soft and understanding. "You don't have to be. It's okay. It sounds like you feel guilty, no matter what choices you make."

Kara feels tears prickle and sniffs, adjusting her glasses. "I--yeah. That sounds right."

"What do you really have to lose, then?"

 

\----

 

Kara gulps in a breath, feeling her heart pound a deafening rhythm in her chest as the elevator takes her to the CatCo bullpen. Her wardrobe of sweaters and button ups is a familiar comfort after so many years of military fatigues, and it definitely makes it easier to blend in. There is one other person in the elevator with her; a man with brown hair and friendly grey eyes, sporting a plaid tie with a light blue cardigan buttoned over it.

His eyes meet hers, appraising her. "Hi. I'm Winn," he greets, just before the elevator doors open. He quickens his stride to keep up with her. "Are you here for the new assistant's position?"

Kara turns to him, barely able to hear him over her racing thoughts. "Uh...sure," Kara replies. "Can I talk to Cat Grant?"

"She's in a meeting right now," Winn says, looking apologetic. "But if you just wait a few minutes..."

Kara shakes her head. "I think I've waited long enough."

She whips her gaze around the bullpen, and her eyes land on the office at the far end with glass walls. She strides towards it, ignoring Winn's protests as her nerves spike again at the sight of a shock of curly blond hair. She swings open the glass door.

Unfortunately, Cat is not alone. There are at least twenty other people in the room, standing attention as the CEO is giving out assignments. Kara ducks her head, hoping she can blend in. This was obviously a huge mistake; she'll just wait until the meeting is over and walk out with everyone else.

Only, Cat's eyes raise as she hears the door open, and before Kara can camouflage herself behind a tall black man in a beige shirt, their eyes meet. Kara is frozen, then, and she's not the only one.

Cat drops the pen she'd been using to point at different employees, and what she had just been saying about quarterly reports dies a quick death on her tongue as she stares at Kara.

Kara's chest feels tight with panic now, and she's amazed at how this is what makes her freeze, after three tours in Pakistan and a two year period where everyone thought she was dead. Where did all her bravery go? Why can't she--

She pauses her self-chastisement long enough to notice that Cat looks gorgeous as ever. Her blond hair is longer than Kara remembers, curlier. Kara can't tell if she's happier, if Kara didn't totally wreck her life by just leaving without a word, but that just sounds totally self-centered--

"What are you doing here?" Cat's voice is sharp, loud. Everyone turns to look at Kara, then, and Kara waves lamely before her eyes dart back to Cat.

 _Answer her, you dummy._ "Uh--I just came by to--I--can we talk?"

A snarl. And then: "We'll continue this meeting later, everyone. Tell Snapper to come to me if he has a problem. For once I'd like to see that man actually stand up to me."

Kara's panic hasn't subsided much by the time the office is empty with the exception of her and Cat, who hasn't come any closer. She's still standing behind her desk, and Kara takes a few steps forward until Cat holds up a hand.

"You could have called," Cat says, picking up the pen she'd dropped before and tossing it from palm to palm. "My number is on the CatCo website."

"Yes, I know. Your office number.I wanted to make sure I actually got a chance to talk to you," Kara says, somehow keeping her voice steady, for a moment, anyway. "And to just let you know, I'm...uh...alive, I guess. I can go, if you want."

Cat moves from behind her desk then, stomping closer. Her heels hit hard against the carpet, and then she's standing in front of Kara, her hazel eyes flashing with fury and something even more terrifying. They're strangers, basically. At least, Kara thought so, but...the way she feels right now doesn't mesh with that picture.

"Kara," Cat grinds out. "It really is you, then."

"Yes, it's me."

"And you showed up here, disrupting my day, so you could...what? Assuage your conscience? Because of course, all I've been doing for the past two years is pining after you. Because I have nothing else going on in my life, and I don't have enough self esteem to get over someone who didn't give me the courtesy of a goodbye."

"I'm so--sorry." Kara's voice breaks, and she feels her tears like needle stabs.

"Don't cry," Cat snaps, but there's a moment when her voice shakes. Kara wipes at her eyes and can't bring herself to look at her. "I'm not that important to you."

"Yes you are," Kara insists, raising her voice. "Don't tell me how I feel."

Cat takes one step back. Her eyes haven't softened at all. She's still fuming, and Kara wonders if anything that's said here today is just going to keep building her anger. Or if that's such a bad thing, because it's not like Kara deserves anything else. She wants Cat to get her anger out. They never even had a chance to go on a date, and mourning the loss of a relationship before it's even started is a unique kind of grief that can take years to get over, Kara knows.

"Let me tell you how I feel, then," Cat says coldly. "You are the one person who has ever made me feel small, Kara. Made me feel unimportant. Like I wasn't deserving of basic human decency. You just left."

"I didn't know I would be gone as long as I was. I thought I'd be back in a few months, and we could pick up where we left off. I'm not trying to excuse my actions," Kara adds quickly, seeing Cat's expression. "I should have at least called to say goodbye."

"Yes. You should have," Cat agrees. "What happened over there?"

"I lost my team when we were doing a sweep of what we thought was an abandoned town," Kara recounts. "I was presumed dead with the rest of them, as you probably know, and sometimes, I wish that were true."

Cat stills, and it's unclear what she's thinking. Some of her anger seems to have dissipated, but Kara doesn't want any pity.

"I'm not saying this to make you feel bad for me," Kara continues. "I just wanted to explain myself, and--to be honest? I didn't think I ever had a real chance with you. Women like you don't normally like women like me."

"Oh, I liked you," Cat says immediately. "Even the small part of you you let me see. I liked that."

Past tense. Kara can work with that, though. She doesn't have any expectations, really. She just wants Cat to know...that she's here, now. That she's not going to disappear again.

She can't bring herself to say those words, though. Not yet. Actions have always worked better for her, anyway.

"Well," Kara says, the last of her tears drying on her cheeks. "I should let you get back to your day." She fishes her phone out of her pocket. 'If there's anything more you want to talk about--"

Cat rolls her eyes and grabs Kara's phone, punching a number into it. She hands it back to Kara. "Don't worry, it's my personal number. Welcome home, soldier."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Oh lookie there, you made me angst! Nicely done.


End file.
